Robert Montgomery

Robert Montgomery

Interview & Portraits Kirk Truman “…I wondered if you went halfway between Jenny Holzer and Philip Larkin what would you get?” Rob and I ran into each other a couple of months back. Then, we talked a little about Journal, a little about his publishing venture New River Press and quite a lot about his art. I wondered why he hadn’t graced our Fitzrovia cover yet, and suggested it was about time we got around to it.…

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Business
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Serge *et le phoque

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Words Kirk Truman Photography Si Melber “Great food begins with the suppliers…” When the Mandrake Hotel opened on Newman Street last September, it was the place that everybody was talking about. Entering through the long, dark corridor entrance, you are greeted by eccentric stylistic flourishes, surrealist design and hedonistic luxury; there’s even a stunning courtyard with its own hanging gardens and a greenhouse full of exotic plants. Founded by Rami Fustok, the Mandrake is a new breed…
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Business
Concentration

Ten Health & Fitness

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Words Kirk Truman Photography Si Melber “Ten has become the Dynamic Pilates and Physiotherapy destination of choice for discerning Londoners…” What is Ten Health & Fitness I wonder? Fitzrovia has evolved and adapted to the times through the decades. Once the home of London’s rag trade, today Great Titchfield Street has given birth to a wave of thriving businesses ranging from dining, some of the best cafes in Central London and a growing centre of health and…
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Editorial
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The Ward

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Words Kirk Truman Photography Gideon Mendel “Allowing a photographer onto a hospital ward of this nature was an extreme act of trust…” During the small hours of a dark January morning, I begin to turn the pages of Gideon Mendel’s photographic record The Ward. It’s a harrowing experience, at once profoundly beautiful and powerfully shocking. The book tells the story of four patients at the former Middlesex Hospital, each suffering from AIDS. The photographs it contains…
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People
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Merlin Labron-Johnson

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Interview & Photography Etienne Gilfillan From helping out in the school canteen to earning a Michelin star at the age of 24 just nine months after opening his first restaurant, Merlin Labron has come a long way in a short time. It’s a journey that has taken him from Devon to Fitzrovia via a culinary education in the regional cuisines of Switzerland, France and Belgium. Journal talked to him about the joy of vegetables, reducing food waste…
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People
COVER

Brontë Aurell

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Interview & Photography Etienne Gilfillan “There are no problems that can’t be solved over a session of kneading dough or cooking something…” Before Kaffeine, before Riding House Café, when Great Titchfield street was still the quiet home of Fitzrovia’s last rag traders, a warm and cuddly Nordic invader brought cinnamon buns, strange groceries with crazy names and a Scandinaian welcome to the neighbourhood. It’s been 10 years since Brontë Aurel and her husband Jonas opened Scandinavian Kitchen…
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Business
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Charlotte Street News

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Words & Photography Kirk Truman “…they need almost everything they can get their hands on from the print world. Magazines are their bibles…” I wasn’t a publisher when I first set foot in Charlotte Street News as a teenager, just an unpublished writer without a readership – a nobody, really. At that time, almost a decade ago, I didn’t know whether I wanted to start a magazine; but what I did know is that I was…
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People
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Ricky Richards

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Words Kirk Truman Portraits Oliver Mills “Its always been about questioning creativity, and unearthing its mystery. The true essence of how somebody got somewhere is what my show is all about…” I first met Ricky Richards earlier this year, during the summer. He’d taken the time to get in touch having read through our latest issues, with the intention of featuring me on his regular podcast. I agreed, and we met at Factory Studios on Fitzrovia’s Margaret…
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People
DAVID MOORE

David Moore

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Words & Photography Etienne Gilfillan “…as a kid, I was stubborn. I liked mashed potatoes and omelettes with raspberry jam!” David Moore is a man unafraid of a floral pattern and a huge fan of the Human League – two facts I discovered almost simultaneously as he greeted me, decked out in a fedora and colourful shirt, at his Fitzrovia restaurant Pied à Terre. I found him thumbing through a selection of vinyl albums, one of…
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Editorial
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Citizens

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Words & Photography Etienne Gilfillan Pampered pooches and exotic cats on leashes… Fitzrovia’s pets are seemingly no strangers to the area’s gentrification. These furry citizens have taken a liking to the high life, freeloading snacks from strangers and local businesses, and using local trees as their observation posts, always on the lookout for Fitzrovia’s pet paparazzi and the chance to become local celebrities! Frank, Foley Street Frank, a seven-month old Springerpoo, is  a doggy dynamo.According to…
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People
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Monica Galetti

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Words Laurence Glynne Photography Etienne Gilfillan “In the kitchen, she gender is irrelevant: once you slip into your chef’s jacket, everyone is equal It’s a bright, sunny day and I’m sitting in Monica Galetti’s innovative new restaurant, surrounded by contemporary Samoan artworks full of mesmerising patterns and gorgeous colours. A typically vivid and meticulously detailed tapestry tells the story of Monica’s own life, depicting her husband David and daughter Anais in a way that exudes warmth and…
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Editorial
Cover

Centre Point

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Words Kirk Truman Illustrations Ross Becker “…a celebration of everything that makes London a world-class city.” Here, in the few square miles which make up the West End, there is little that rises above 10 storeys. The Post Office Tower and Senate House are among the most familiar beacons in this part of London, though there is perhaps one architectural fixture that’s even more instantly recognisable. Sitting on the borders of Fitzrovia and Soho, Centre Point has…
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Business
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THRSXTY

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Words Kirk Truman Photography Etienne Gilfillan “Every brand has a story to be told, and we love telling stories…” I’m sitting with Oli Wheeler on Little Portland Street. We’re talking about public relations, his agency THRSXTY, and his secret life as a drummer and self-confessed adrenaline junkie. There are almost too many PR agencies to count in this neighbourhood, but this street is especially populous, filled with some of London’s biggest names in communications. We’re discussing Oli’s…